• SPORT

Andy Murray insisted he is fit enough to start the defence of his
Wimbledon title on Monday despite his recent struggles with a hip
injury.

Murray sparked concerns he might have to withdraw from Wimbledon
after cancelling two scheduled exhibition matches this week due to his
sore hip.

The world number one was seen limping while practising at Wimbledon
over the weekend, but he is convinced he can make it through two weeks
of

â€œIâ€™ll be fine to play the event and play seven matches,â€ Murray told reporters at Wimbledon on Sunday.

Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion, will play the first match on
Centre Court on Monday against Kazakhstanâ€™s Alexander Bublik.

That will be a huge lift for Murray, who admitted he had been worried the hip pain wouldnâ€™t ease off in time for Wimbledon.

â€œYou never know. I havenâ€™t been in that sort of position too often,
only a few days before a Slam and not felt good at all,â€ he said.

â€œObviously this is an extremely important tournament, so you worry a
little bit. Itâ€™s a little bit stressful if you canâ€™t practise for a few
days.

â€œYou really want to be preparing, training as much as you can to get
ready and make you feel better, especially when you hadnâ€™t had any
matches.

â€œI just tried to think positively. I tried to make the best decisions
along with my team to give myself the best chance to feel good on
Monday. I feel like Iâ€™ve done that.â€

Facing world number 134 Bublik should be a gentle introduction to the
tournament for Murray, who is desperately short of match practice on
grass after a shock Queenâ€™s Club first-round loss against unheralded
Australian Jordan Thompson.

â€˜Confidenceâ€™
Crucially, the Scot said his injury has started to feel better after
lengthy treatment and prolonged periods of rest over the last week.

â€œIâ€™ve had hip problems since I was very young. Itâ€™s not something new to me,â€ he said.

â€œItâ€™s just been very sore the last few weeks and was giving me quite a
lot of trouble, moving to certain shots and getting to certain
positions.

â€œThat was why I had to take the break to try to give it a chance to settle down, calm down a bit.

â€œI spent a lot of time with my physio, doing some extra exercises in
my warm-up, strengthening exercises, a lot of stuff to try to loosen off
that area.

â€œItâ€™s felt a lot better in the last few days. Practice each day has got a little bit better.â€

Murray also went into the French Open with concerns over his form and
fitness, but gradually played his way back to his best en route to the
semi-finals.

The three-time Grand Slam winner is hoping for a similar scenario at Wimbledon.

â€œItâ€™s been slightly stop-start preparations. But each day Iâ€™ve felt better, a little bit like at the French Open,â€ he said.

â€œI didnâ€™t come in as well-prepared, but I still found a way with each
match to feel a bit better, and built confidence each day. Iâ€™m hoping
thatâ€™s the case here.â€